F1: the summary

Ever been there reading my tweets wondering wtf is this guy talking bout. Well here it is F1 in all its glory, rule by rule.

The Basics

Winners are decided on who finishes the race first. Points are collected depending on position. For this year points are given to the top ten drivers [out of 24 drivers in total]. 25 points for first followed by 18,15,12,10,8,6,4,2 and 1 point for 10th spot. The driver with the most points at the end of the season is declared champion.

Each driver is placed in a team of two drivers. These two drivers race for a single constructor that designs their cars. There are 11 teams in F1 each having a maximum of two full time drivers and numerous test/back-up drivers. These teams are called constructors and the combined points of their 2 drivers determine their position.

Each race is held in a different country, exceptions of this rule will be named after the continent [For example the race on the Catalunya circuit is called the Spanish Grand Prix while the Valencia race is called the European Grand Prix despite both taking place in Spain]

All Formula 1 races follow this specific order, Practice on Friday, Qualifying on Saturday and Race on Sunday. The Monaco Gran Prix is the only exception where practice is on a Thursday. During practice the racers got comfortable with their cars while they and their engineers figure out the best strategy and set up for the race. There are 3 practice sessions, 2 on Friday and 1 before qualifying. Qualifying is a bit more tricky as there are 3 tiers: Q1, Q2 and Q3. In Q1 all drivers go out on the track to set fast times, the slowest 7 are knocked out and their positions are set for the race, same applies to Q2. In Q3 the top drivers go out to set their final starting positions for race day.

The race itself is straight forward. There are certain protocol that applies to flags [which you can read here] Apart from that, the only real strategy apart from goin fast is pit stops. A racer is required to make at least one pit stop to change tyres. They must use 2 different types of tyre at least once. [Everyone one in the field uses these 2 tyres]. They are not allowed to refuel during these pit stops but they are allowed to change and adjust certain parts. Because you have to come to a complete stop during a pit stop and in addition adhere to a pit lane speed limit, it is the area where most people will gain or lose positions.

After each race the top 3 drivers are taken to the podium where they are presented with awards. The national anthem of the winning driver is played followed by that of the winning constructor. In the case where both the driver and constructor are from the same country, their anthem is only played once. After this ceremony the racers are brought into the interview room.

So thats its, next blog update will include a listing of teams/drivers/races to watch.